Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis to Tighten Workplace Regulatory Powers
The City of Minneapolis is getting ready to propose a regulatory body to oversee workplace labor standards, an effort which has put the hospitality industry, for one, on edge. Designed to replace the city’s ineffectual workplace advisory committees (WAC), the Labor Standards Board (LSB) would supervise the study of specific industries and propose regulatory change to the city council. The concept has the support of Mayor Jacob Frey, whose office is formulating the function and structure of the LSB.
“The city is looking to be properly advised,” said Frey in an interview this week. “We have roughly 50 advisory boards but there has been a drop-off in participation by business who feel they lacked a voice.” The WACs were an outgrowth of the city’s sick and safe time policies but have failed to accomplish their goal, says Frey, who hopes a more “formalized process” will do so.
An LSB, and the WACs before it, were priorities of organized labor and certain layers of city and elected governance, not business. Though unstated, some are interpreting Frey’s advocacy and leadership as an effort to short-circuit an effort with more draconian impacts on business that might come out of the increasingly leftist, socialist-tilting city council.
Though the proposal is not yet complete, it is expected to be presented to the council as early as next month. The board would function as a clearinghouse of sorts, accepting feedback from stakeholders on specific workplaces or industries, and subsequently deciding whether to convene an industry specific body (a “sectoral work group” balanced among stakeholders) to investigate and make recommendations. The LSB would then have the authority to interpret those recommendations and make policy proposals to the city council, which could choose to act or not act on them. “This is much better than politicians making policy on the fly,” Frey says.
Once implemented the policy apparatus will be nearly unprecedented in its breadth. Labor representatives point to New York City’s longstanding wage standards boards or Minnesota’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards board. But only Detroit appears to have passed legislation (in 2021) analogous to what Minneapolis has in mind.
The city says it is yet unable to offer an exact structure for the LSB or sectoral working groups but emphasized it would be a mix of labor, business, and third parties, which could theoretically be government professionals or outside experts. Business is understandably wary.
“Our stand is what is the problem we’re trying to solve?” asks Angie Whitcomb, president and CEO of trade group Hospitality Minnesota. “Let’s work with city leaders to address them. Minneapolis already has robust worker protections.” Hospitality executives have been meeting with the city because they believe the LSB’s sights are trained on them. Craft & Crew restaurants co-owner David Benowitz penned an op-ed in the Star Tribune stating as much.
Benowitz met with Frey in December and “realized this was not an idea but a formed plan about to happen.” Benowitz believes organized labor, which made efforts in the mid-2010s to try to regulate hospitality at the city and state level, has targeted the hotel and restaurant industry for reform. “They are focused on wage theft, overtime pay, scheduling practices,” says Benowitz. He said Frey assured him the city is mostly interested in problematic workplaces that fail to offer proper training, benefits, and safe and sick time adherence. Frey used safety for window washers as an example of an appropriate use of an LSB.
So this seems to be the distinction: whether the city is merely looking to root out workplace abuses or find ways to micromanage business from a utopian workplace perspective.
Fixed scheduling is a potential point of focus. Restaurants and some hotels practice demand-based scheduling, adjusting work hours on the fly to react to occupancy, weather, and other factors that affect customer counts. Employees who are “cut,” do not get paid. It strikes organized labor as exploitive but is baked into the way the industry operates in the US. Scheduling staff weeks out and then having to pay workers to staff a patio closed by rain adds overhead without revenue. “Our industries operate on razor-thin margins,” notes Whitcomb.
Progressives believe fixed scheduling is just something restaurants would absorb from reduced profits, but the more likely reaction would simply be fewer jobs – a scenario that has already played out in the wake of minimum wage increases. Restaurants would react by running patios using QR codes rather than servers, simplifying menus to reduce kitchen staff, or simply choosing not to expand or operate in Minneapolis, though Whitcomb fears Minneapolis’s rulemaking could become a template that’s adopted in St. Paul and other metro municipalities.
Many Minnesota restaurateurs remember the anti-tipping efforts of a decade ago, led by organized labor, rooted in a theoretical historical orthodoxy which argued tipping was created to exploit women and remained an intolerable practice of bias in the workplace. Tip-based restaurant workers came out broadly opposed to the bans. Subsequently during the pandemic rampant expansion of tipping proved the tide that lifted many service workers toward a better standard of living. Organized labor is no longer broadly advocating for its abolition.
The concern is unintended consequences of well-meaning policies rooted in a utopian sense of how workplaces function, but the labor side insists it’s just the opposite. “It’s really a creative step forward,” says Greg Nammacher, president of SEIU Local 26, which represents 8,000 service workers—predominantly janitors, security, and airport workers in the metro—and has been an enthusiastic advocate for the LSB within the city policymaking apparatus. “Businesses will be at the table with us.”
Nammacher, perhaps with an eye to his audience, presents the concept less as a solution to a problem, than an opportunity for a renaissance for the city, and especially downtown. “The only way downtown thrives going forward is as a high-value experience. Attracting the best workers is not just about the middle class but the service sector, who work for low wages.” Though his workers have collective bargaining, he says there are some topics which either can’t be successfully bargained or require government intervention.
But he insists the LSB concept is an attempt to avoid “one size fits all” rulemaking. Should the idea of fixed scheduling be mandated in the city, industries where it did not benefit stakeholders could be exempted, he says. Nammacher acknowledged the city already has more protections for workers than probably any other municipality in Minnesota but believes an LSB “is good policy” whether workers have representation or not.
Another concern of employers like Benowitz, who does business in both Minneapolis and several suburbs, is dealing with a growing disincentive to do business in the city. This is especially true in downtown, where the surviving restaurants are stressed due to the impacts of work from home. The question is whether additional burdens for hospitality and other stressed sectors would create a renaissance or just deepen the malaise. Nammacher views it as an opportunity to create policy with local flexibility, “because what works in Shoreview may not work in Minneapolis.”
The city and organized labor seem to be asking business to trust them. Were business backgrounds not so widely absent in the council chambers and in much of the policy making side of city hall, they might be seeing a different level of dismay. Frey is quick to push back, noting “my office has been working extensively with business,” on the LSB. He disputes that business lacks an influential voice with the city, noting he spent years as a lawyer for business and believes “we have that perspective in city hall. Does that commentary always work its way to the council? That’s another question.”
Ultimately, Frey says the greatest protection for business in an LSB universe will be that the entity simply won’t work without the participation of business, and business won’t participate if it feels the policy apparatus isn’t fair. “We want the [businesses] that are doing things right to be appointed [to the LSB] and help us find common standards.”
A man was brought to the hospital with serious injuries early Sunday afternoon after a fight escalated to a stabbing.
Minneapolis police say an ambulance near Tenth Avenue South and East 26th Street was approached by a man with a potentially life-threatening stab wound around 11:55 a.m.
An initial investigation by law enforcement indicates the stabbing happened when the victim, who was armed with a crowbar, got into a fight with another man, who stabbed him, police say.
The stabbing happened near 12th Avenue South and East Lake Street, police added, saying no arrests have been made and an investigation is underway.
Minneapolis, MN
‘He was just the best kid’: Grandparents grieve 16-year-old shot and killed in north Minneapolis
“He was just the best kid, he was so loving, that’s the biggest thing about him, he loved his family, that was everything to him,” said James Nelson.
Homicide investigation underway in north Minneapolis after double shooting leaves 16-year-old dead
James was referring to his 16‑year‑old grandson, Cordero Montgomery Jr., also known as “Junior,” who family identified as the teen shot and killed Thursday in north Minneapolis.
James and Wendy Nelson are Junior’s father’s foster parents, and consider Junior their grandson.
James said the last text message they exchanged with him is something the couple keeps replaying. “The last thing he said was ‘I love you,’ and he said, ‘I love you more.’”
They are remembering him as a loving teenager who constantly told them how much he cared.
They said the day of the incident, Junior had been visiting a friend in north Minneapolis and was supposed to take the bus to their home in St. Paul afterward.
“All I know is they were walking, and I guess he, somebody got out of a car and started shooting, and then he ran. Junior ran down the sidewalk a ways,” Wendy said.
Advocates sound alarm after teen is shot and killed in north Minneapolis
The family said he was shot 11 times.
“They must have been really mad at him, or who knows. We don’t know. We got to wait till the detectives find out. It just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Wendy said she learned about the shooting through a text message.
“All I got was ‘Please call, Junior is dead.’ So I immediately ran out of the bedroom. I was very upset, kind of uncontrollably upset, and gave the phone to James, but [it] didn’t feel real, not until I got there,” she said.
Minneapolis police said officers found Junior outside on 18th Avenue North and performed life‑saving measures, but he later died at the scene. The family said they cannot understand why anyone would do something so violent.
“Why? He’s 16, you know. He’s 16,” Wendy said. “What would he have done that deserved to die for, and get rid of the guns?”
“He was just a kid,” James said.
Flowers now lay near the space where he took his last breath.
“It’s so senseless,” Wendy said.
The grandparents said they later learned people were recording video of Cordero’s body at the scene. Wendy said they wish people would think about how they would feel if it were their own family.
James also said they were hurt by comments online.
“Yeah, somebody on Facebook said, ‘Ho hum, just another day in north Minneapolis,’ and I said, ‘That’s my grandson, and right now it is all everything, but ho hum.’” He added, “I wanted to put a name to my grandson’s death.”
James said he needed to see an image of Junior to accept what happened. When asked if he saw an image of him on the ground, he said, “I did,” and added, “I just said, I have to see my boy.” After he saw the image, he thought, “Yeah, this is real.”
Minneapolis police said a 44‑year‑old man was also shot and injured with non‑life‑threatening injuries. The grandparents said they don’t know who he is or what connection, if any, there is to Junior.
They described Junior as a smart, respectful teenager who was thriving in a school where he received one‑on‑one attention. They said he was going to be a sophomore next school year.
“He was getting straight A’s. I mean, he is really smart and very respectful. People always tell me, ‘Man, that’s a really respectful young man you have there,’ all the time, because he was just the best,” James said.
He also said Junior loved video games and was preparing to apply for a job.
Junior often stayed with them for days at a time.
“He’d come over for weekends. Yeah, he’d stay for days. He loved it so quiet over here,” Wendy said.
She said he was also affectionate. “We were leaving one day, we dropped him off, and he goes, ‘Oh no, Grandma, you need to give me a hug,’ that’s, I mean, a 16-year-old, you know, and he always hearted with a text, you know, just amazing,” Wendy said.
The family is also carrying an older grief. The Nelsons said Junior’s mother previously lost a young daughter during a surgery.
They say Junior’s mother is too devastated to speak publicly right now, and part of why they agreed to talk was to take pressure off of her.
“We have a GoFundMe for Support Cordero to help a single mother, and she’s already lost one child, James said. “It’s really, really tough,” James said.
The grandparents also spoke about mental health and the need for more support in the community.
“People need to treat mental health like physical health. That’s what I would like to get out of this, that our community would wake up and deal with mental health,” James said.
He said he wishes people would think about consequences before tragedy.
“Try and be a better person before a tragedy happens. Just think, look at other people’s consequences, look at other families’ consequences, and just try and put yourself in their place. That could be you if you keep up this on this road,” James said.
The couple also said they moved out of north Minneapolis after gunfire near their home years ago; they said they have seen firsthand how violence affects families.
For the person who pulled the trigger, Wendy had a direct message.
“Whoever you are, you, you took a 16-year-old’s life over something probably really stupid, and there’s no reason for it, you know, get rid of the guns.”
Now, they hope justice comes soon.
Minneapolis police said there have not been any arrests or updates in the case.
MPD juvenile shooting numbers
Minneapolis police data provided to KSTP shows 12 juvenile shooting victims so far in 2026, making up 17% of all shooting victims (the percentage represents the share of all shooting victims who were juveniles).
A year‑to‑date comparison shows:
- 2026: 12 juvenile victims (17%)
- 2025: 6 juvenile victims (7%)
- 2024: 13 juvenile victims (15%)
- 2023: 17 juvenile victims (14%)
- 2022: 14 juvenile victims (8%)
Annual totals from MPD show:
- 2025: 52 juvenile victims (17%)
- 2024: 41 juvenile victims (11%)
- 2023: 62 juvenile victims (15%)
- 2022: 58 juvenile victims (11%)
Future of George Floyd Square still undecided
Memorial Day marks six years since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, with remembrance events held in his honor. City officials have since pondered what George Floyd Square should look like in the future. FOX 9’s Leon Purvis has the details.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis is preparing for major changes at George Floyd Square as it marks six years since Floyd’s murder.
City prepares to reshape George Floyd Square after years of debate
What we know:
City leaders have spent years discussing whether to keep the intersection mostly closed to traffic or reopen it in some way.
For nearly six years, George Floyd Square at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue has been a place for memorials, art and community gatherings. After much debate, construction is set to begin on June 8.
The city council’s original idea was to turn the area into a pedestrian mall, keeping it closed to most vehicles.
That plan faced pushback from some businesses and residents, and ultimately decided on a flexible open-street design.
Dwight Alexander, owner of Smoke in the Pit, said, “I don’t want a pedestrian mall.”
Under this plan, 38th Street and Chicago Avenue will reopen to vehicle and bus traffic, but the area where Floyd was killed will remain closed to traffic.
Renderings show wider sidewalks, new gathering spaces and improved infrastructure throughout the intersection.
Jeremiah Rupert, who visits George Floyd Square every day, said, “How do you balance community and social justice to make sure everyone gets what they need?”
“I want the road back open. I want the bus line to come back this way if it can. I want the streetlights back up there,” said Alexander.
City officials say memorials and gathering spaces will remain part of the redesign during and after construction, though some locations may shift.
Artists and community members will be involved in making sure the public can still access the memorials during construction.
“If we shut it down for construction, or if we further open it up, what would it do to the space?” said Rupert.
The city says construction is expected to continue through 2027.
Big picture view:
George Floyd Square has become both a memorial and a gathering place for the community since 2020.
The redesign aims to balance the needs of residents, businesses and those who visit the space to remember Floyd.
Business owners and community members have voiced a range of opinions on how the intersection should function moving forward.
Some want easier access for vehicles and buses, while others are focused on preserving the area’s significance as a memorial.
The city’s plan attempts to address both concerns by reopening some streets while keeping the most sensitive area closed to traffic.
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